CNN: Russian agents used Pokémon Go to meddle in American politics

by Eleanor Mueller, Sinclair Broadcast Group

(Photo courtesy MGN Online)

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) —

A Russian entity launched a campaign using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and even Pokémon Go in an effort to spark divisiveness during the 2016 U.S. election, according to an investigation by CNN published Thursday.

Pretending to be part of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Russian-linked account aimed to exasperate racial tensions among Americans, according to the investigation.

The campaign was called "Don't Shoot Us"; the entity itself is believed to be the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked "troll farm," as described by CNN.

The account, which repeatedly published about stories of police brutality, has now been suspended across all platforms.